Our Ugly Obsession with Beauty

Beauty has always been one of society’s great obsessions. Since the Ancient Greeks, humans have struggled with an overvaluation of aesthetic appeal. In today’s media-saturated world where we are bombarded by images of what we should look like and what we fail to look like, it is worse than ever.

On a scientific level, it can be argued that there is an evolutionary reason behind our preference for attractive people. Fitter, taller, stronger people have a greater chance of survival. It is natural we are attracted to them in order to give our offspring the best chances of living and continuing the species. However, the extremes to which we have taken the idea of beauty, and the exclusivity of the features which we deem beautiful today are a far cry from traits which carry inherent evolutionary benefit. Conversely, they are having a huge and harmful effect particularly on girls and…